GNU bug report logs - #7813
tail -f gives misleading error message when inotify limit is reached

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Bram Neijt <bneijt <at> gmail.com>
Subject: bug#7813: closed (Re: bug#7813: [Bug 700958] Re: tail -f gives
 misleading error message when inotify limit is reached)
Date: Tue, 08 May 2012 10:39:02 +0000

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Your bug report

#7813: tail -f gives misleading error message when inotify limit is reached

which was filed against the coreutils package, has been closed.

The explanation is attached below, along with your original report.
If you require more details, please reply to 7813 <at> debbugs.gnu.org.

-- 
7813: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=7813
GNU Bug Tracking System
Contact help-debbugs <at> gnu.org with problems

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From: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
To: 7813-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#7813: [Bug 700958] Re: tail -f gives misleading error message
	when inotify limit is reached
Date: Tue, 08 May 2012 12:36:49 +0200

Jim Meyering wrote:
> A. Bram Neijt wrote:
>> http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=7813
...
> Thanks for the report.
> This was fixed for 8.6:
>
> commit 61b77891c2d9af299063850a0c4d1d721340cfff
> Author: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
> Date:   Tue Oct 12 01:39:58 2010 +0100
>
>     tail: fix checking of currently unavailable directories
...
> With coreutils-8.6 and newer, you'd see this:
>
>     tail: inotify resources exhausted
>     tail: inotify cannot be used, reverting to polling

Marked as done.

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From: Bram Neijt <bneijt <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: tail -f gives misleading error message when inotify limit is reached
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:20:00 +0100

Dear developers,

When tail -f has inotify enabled and hits the max_user_watches limit
of inotify, the resulting error message is very misleading.

To reproduce:
1) Make sure you will hit the limit if you try another inotify request
    sudo sh -c 'echo 10 > /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches'
2) Create a file:
    touch /tmp/hello
3) Follow it:
    tail -f /tmp/hello

Result:
tail: cannot watch `/tmp/hello': No space left on device

Expected result:
tail: cannot watch '/tmp/hello' because inotify reported: No space
left on device

It can be verified by using strace tail -f /tmp/hello:
inotify_add_watch(4, "/tmp/hello",
IN_MODIFY|IN_ATTRIB|IN_DELETE_SELF|IN_MOVE_SELF) = -1 ENOSPC (No space
left on device)

I've also submitted this bug to launchpad for easier tracking at
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/coreutils/+bug/700958

Greetings,

Bram Neijt

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